KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Less than an hour after last season ended — as confetti fell upon them in Las Vegas — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and pass rusher Chris Jones were already chatting about the team’s next mission as the NFL’s newest dynasty.
“Hey, we’re not done, dawg,” Mahomes said to Jones. “I want three.”
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Jones agreed: “We’ve got to get three.”
Then Mahomes acknowledged the historical statistic the Chiefs will attempt to change in their 2024 season as the league’s reigning back-to-back champion.
“No (team) has ever got three (championships),” Mahomes said. “I want back-to-back-to-back.”
The Chiefs haven’t been shy about their aspirations to do what many analysts believe is next to impossible: overcoming all challengers while contending with a likely increase in injuries and the constraints of the league’s salary cap for three consecutive seasons.
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The Chiefs, though, believe they have a better-than-average opportunity compared with the previous eight teams that failed to win the Super Bowl after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy the previous two seasons.
They have a future Hall of Fame coach (Andy Reid), arguably the league’s best quarterback (Mahomes) and tight end (Travis Kelce), one of the best defensive players (Jones) and a bunch of skilled starters on rookie contracts, including cornerback Trent McDuffie, defensive end George Karlaftis, center Creed Humphrey, running back Isiah Pacheco, receiver Rashee Rice, linebacker Nick Bolton and safety Bryan Cook.
“We’ve got the team to do it,” Jones said after Wednesday’s practice, the team’s last before training camp. “We have brief conversations about it, what it’s going to take, the work that’s required to even get into that position.”
The @Chiefs are eyeing the three-peat 👀 @InsideTheNFL now streaming on @netflix pic.twitter.com/wigOzFJhQT
— NFL (@NFL) February 20, 2024
Another reason the Chiefs are confident about pursuing the elusive three-peat is because of their consistent approach this offseason to elevate their skills through diligent work. With all of their key players healthy and participating in this week’s minicamp, the Chiefs want to see how much they can improve from last year ahead of their season-opening game Sept. 5 against the Baltimore Ravens.
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“You can always bet on the Chiefs, baby,” Kelce said, smiling, Tuesday. “I think everybody is pretty motivated to keep the mentality that we had last year. We didn’t get to back-to-back by always talking about back-to-back. We got there by trying to figure out what’s the best way for us to get better from last week. That mentality is key in something like this.”
Wednesday’s practice featured plenty of enthusiasm from various players. Many reps ended with players barking trash talk at one another. In the first team period, the projected starting defenders denied Mahomes from completing deep passes to his receivers.
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Pacheco chose to increase the intensity by shouting at his offensive teammates to compete harder. In the next period, a seven-on-seven session, the offense responded, as Mahomes completed several impressive passes against tight coverage, including an over-the-shoulder catch from receiver Marquise Brown against McDuffie in the back corner of the end zone.
“It’s important to have that competitiveness,” Pacheco said Tuesday. “We’re just throwing the ball. We’re not running, there’s not much contact and bodies are off the ground, so just getting that little edge (on the defense) is how you find ways to get better.”
Hollywood put on a show today 🍿 pic.twitter.com/Amy0fPXWjr
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) June 12, 2024
In response, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo shouted back at Pacheco midway through the seven-on-seven period before he turned his attention to his players, demanding they step up their play. A similar scene occurred a couple of weeks ago during one of the Chiefs’ voluntary practices.
“You love the competition,” Spagnuolo said late last month. “The only thing I would say about that is there’s a guy in a yellow jersey, we can’t press, you can’t put your hands on receivers and you can’t chuck anybody. It’s a little tilted (toward the offense). I love it, though. I see Pacheco and I love that. I think the guys like it, too. It keeps it enjoyable.”
Last season, the Chiefs defense held opponents under 25 points in 20 of 21 games, the most for any team in league history.
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In a Wednesday morning meeting, Spagnuolo gave his players this advice: You combat complacency by challenging your teammates to improve. Spagnuolo showed his players a brief statistical analysis of the 2016 New York Giants, a defensive unit that, under his guidance, allowed the second-fewest points per game (17.8). But the following year, the Giants fell to 27th in the league, allowing 24.3 points per game and surrendering 104 more points than the prior season.
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Jones has already set a grand individual goal for this season: 20 or more sacks.
“It’s going to take everything: God, luck and some unselfish teammates,” said Jones, whose career high for sacks in a season is 15 1/2. “It’s just tough as hell, but I’m going to do it. Anything in this world that I get, I want to earn it. That’s the satisfaction of the journey because of the hardships that you face.”
.@StoneColdJones’ Top 10 plays of 2023 showed why he’s one of the best to do it 💪 pic.twitter.com/YobwyMr3Cs
— NFL (@NFL) March 24, 2024
Eight of Spagnuolo’s projected starters are entering at least their third season in his system.
“We’re advancing in the nuances and details in being able to do more things within each (play) call,” linebacker Drue Tranquill said Tuesday. “As you evolve as a defense, you’re able to do that and give the quarterback a lot of different looks. Evolving our disguise packages, it’s great being out there with guys who have been in (the system) for so long.”
Going against Spagnuolo’s blitzes Wednesday, Mahomes was able to test his deep-passing connection with Brown, who joined the Chiefs in March on a one-year deal. The offense’s biggest highlight came in the second team period. Mahomes recognized the blitz and threw a splendid fadeaway deep pass; the ball traveled more than 50 yards downfield, allowing Brown enough time to sprint away from safety Chamarri Conner before he caught it on his way to the end zone.
“Seeing the blitz, I just put my head down, trusting that he was going to throw it,” Brown said of Mahomes. “I looked up, and the ball was in the air.”
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Receiver Justin Watson, a three-time Super Bowl champion, said he has noticed that many of his teammates recognize this week as the start of their 2024 campaign and the final week of the 2023 season.
“It’s a (Babe Ruth) quote that I really like: He said, ‘Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games,’” Watson said. “That’s always how you have to attack the season. This time of year, nobody cares that you won the Super Bowl last year. It doesn’t earn you anything except you’re getting everybody’s best shot.
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“We have the ring ceremony (Thursday night), and that’ll be the last time that we’ll talk about or celebrate last season. But really since we’ve gotten here (this week), nobody is talking about last year. It’s about what we want to do this season.”
Attendance report: Wednesday’s practice featured 86 players on the 91-man roster. Xavier Worthy (strained left hamstring), left guard Joe Thuney (recovering from a pectoral injury), defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (recovering from an elbow injury) and defensive ends Charles Omenihu (recovering from a torn right ACL) and BJ Thompson (resting after being released from the hospital Monday night after cardiac arrest) didn’t participate.
(Photo of quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, center, Chris Oladokun, left, and Carson Wentz: Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
